Those Memories
by MeepTheFirst
Summary: Luke's remembering precious memories that he should have remembered all along. One shot.


He's sitting in a crouch position. He taps his finger on the ground, on the floor made of bricks. He's thinking. He's thinking of all the time's he messed up, all the times he hurt someone. He closes his eyes. He remembers all of those precious memories. All the precious memories he somehow forgotten, yet always remembered.

---

There they are. They're running away as quick as they can. Because Grover Underwood, the satyr assigned to protect and guide Thalia, made a wrong turn. Again.

Thalia had her spear in her hand. Her grip was strong; she was not letting go. Her eye's seemed like ice, so cold and strong, yet fragile. She shouted, "We have to split up!"

Grover seemed to disagree. "No. Thalia, that's possibly the worst, and most stupidest plans in the world - "

"Really? Last time I checked, you got us in the mess." she replied. She looked at Luke and Annabeth, who both nodded. Thalia nodded and shouted, "NOW!"

He couldn't keep track of who went where. They all ran randomly into the forest. Grover was right, in a way, it was a pretty stupid plan. For one, he tripped over a log. He tumbled and tumbled until he stopped. He also had no idea where anyone else was. He got up and was panting. He took a deep breathe. He wanted to sit, to wait, but it wouldn't work. No one knew where he was. Not even luck would allow that, because Luke Castellan wasn't a lucky guy. He started to walk forward, to get out of the forest. Maybe he would find everyone else there. Maybe on his way he'd hear something.

And he did hear something. A scream of a child.

Annabeth.

He ran to where he heard the voice. He ran faster than he did before, despite the fact he was exhausted. He would not let anything hurt her. He promised.

When he saw her, she was hiding behind a tree, and a Fury was in front of it, as if it was trying to find her. Luke understood. It was dark and the Fury couldn't see well. Annabeth hid behind the tree, because if she was just in a ball near the Fury, it would know. Her blond hair seemed to glow in the dark. Not exactly glow, but something like that. Luke stepped back slowly. He was not going to leave, but he had to make sure he wouldn't interfere, at least not yet. The Fury got tired of guessing, and whipped the tree that was in front of them. It turned on fire. Annabeth gave a small yelp, and crouched smaller. No doubt if she moved now the Fury would kill her. Luke made his move. He headed at the Fury and swung his sword, the Fury blocking with its whips just in time.

"Puny son of Hermes," it hissed. "You'll never make it out of here alive."

Annabeth's eyes widened and she knew what was happening. She crawled away from the tree.

"Luke -"

"Get away right now! Find Thalia!" he yelled.

"No!" she protested. "I can't!"

Through the toughness of keeping the Fury in check, he managed to say, "Of course you can! Go!"

She shook her head. "We're a family, Luke. I can't leave you. Not now. Not like this."

_[I]Family.[/I]_

---

_[I]Family[/I]_. His heart always hurt at the mention of this word. It reminded him of the promise he made. Of the promise he broke. [I]_Promise_.[/I] What a strange word. It sounds so simple, but it's actually complicated. It's full of trust and faith. And when you break it, it turns into treason and despair. It turns a perfectly happy girl into one who can't stop crying whenever she's remembered of the old days.

Luke clenched his fists. He wanted all of this to be over with. All of it.

"Sir?" a voice called.

He turned around. It was a demigod.

"Yes?" he asked, annoyed.

"Are - are you ready to go to Antaeus' arena?" the demigod asked.

"All ready?" That was quick. Right after the arena would be his Lord's rise to great power. "All right then, round everyone up."

The demigod nodded and left. It left Luke to remember another memory.

---

Thalia playfully shoved him. "Shut up, Luke," she laughed.

"What? 'Cause you know I'm right?" Luke teased.

Annabeth giggled as Grover stared at his pipes. He had arrived just two days ago, and he made a pretty bad first impression. Not to mention second, and third.

"When that's right, I'll wear pink." Thalia decided.

Luke laughed as Annabeth said jokingly, "Oooh. Harsh." He grabbed Thalia's wrists and asked in a serious yet obviously kidding voice, "Thalia Grace, will you marry me?"

Everyone laughed loudly, and Thalia pushed him away. "No way, loser."

Annabeth continued to laugh. Luke pretended to look hurt. "Is that the way to speak to the man who saved your life?"

Thalia looked at him. "Alright then, Luke Castellan, I'll marry you. On one condition."

Luke was surprised. He never knew he would ever get this far. "Yes?"

"You give me," She stopped for a dramatic pause. "Your comic book collection."

He sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry, young miss, but that collection is part of my life. It is like a child to me."

This time Annabeth tried not to laugh. She put her arms around her legs.

Thalia stood up. "Fine, Castellan of the Lukes, be that way!"

"Be what way, Thalia of the Thalianess?"

Thalia started to crack up. "_Thalianess?!_" She then calmed herself down and replied, "You know what you really want from me."

"You're right." he agreed. "I want…wait - what do I want again?"

Thalia sat down, smiling really wide. Grover, on the other hand, wasn't amused by any of this. "We should go. Camp."

Thalia and Luke were about to argue, but Annabeth beat them to it. "After a day of almost being killed numerous of times, I think we deserve some happiness. Or are you here to make sure we're miserable?"

After that little episode they put on, everyone was in a better mood.

---

Turns out they could enter the arena if they entertained Antaeus. So that's what Luke did. He ordered monsters and such to fight Antaeus' monsters. It was boring, actually. Luke closed his eyes and leaned back on the wall. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

---

They were separated. It was that stupid satyrs fault. Again, [I]_again[/I]_ he led them into a death trap. This time it was worse. They were practically at a mercy of a Cyclops. He tried to get out of the maze, but no matter how much he tried, no matter what turn he made, he couldn't find the exit.

"Αυτό είναι χάλια," he muttered.

Just when he thought it couldn't get worse, he heard a voice screaming, "Help!" It sounded like Annabeth. He somehow figured out how to get out of the maze by her voice, but what he realized soon was that she never screamed for help.

The Cyclops tricked him. And it knocked him out.

When he awoke, he was tied from the ceiling. There were two other people tied with him: Thalia and Grover. Where was Annabeth?

His question was soon answered when she entered the room. Her face was pale, and she looked terrified. Of course she was. She was seven and was alone in a dark maze. Annabeth analyzed the room. Her friends, the bones, and the Cyclops. She took a deep breath. The Cyclops didn't see her. Luke prayed it would keep on ignoring her. Annabeth slowly drew out her knife. The Cyclopse heard her. It turned around, and Annabeth stepped back. He said something that Luke couldn't hear, but it made Annabeth cry. She walked forward and for a moment Luke was afraid she had been tricked. But it was the contrary. She had tricked all of them.

She stabbed the Cyclops' foot and ran. She climbed up a chain that was near Thalia and cut her ropes. Thalia hopped down and destroyed the Cyclops. Annabeth cut off Luke's bonds and Grover's and climbed off the chain. They ran off, but Annabeth kept on crying.

Turns out the Cyclops used her dad's voice. He tried to make Annabeth that what she wanted - to be accepted - was happening. But Annabeth was too smart for that. In fact, she pretended it would work so she could surprise the Cyclops. And it worked.

---

Luke woke up as a monster said, "Three people are sensed to be coming this way."

Three people. [I]_Percy, Grover, and Tyson[/I]. _Luke thought. [I]_But wait - wouldn't that make one person and two monsters?[/I]_ Something started to bug Luke, but he set it away. He was forced to watch the rest of the fights until a familiar boy was in the same arena. Percy Jackson. Luke smiled sinisterly. Finally, a good fight. Luke told Antaeus that his 'brother' would be fighting in the arena. Right when everything was going perfect, something ruined it.

"Luke, stop this! Let us go!"

No. She wasn't suppose to be here. It was only suppose to be those three. That's what his spy told him.

Except.

_[I]"The leader of the Quest is -" she said, scared._

"_I don't particularly care who's leading the Quest." he said, 'hanging up'.[/I]_

He should have listened. At least he would have been prepared.

No. He would never have been prepared for this. Because behind Percy was -

"Annabeth?" he said softly, but loud enough for others to hear.

No, this couldn't be happening.

But it was.

His mind was rushing with many thoughts. She must've almost died numerous of times. And he felt so stupid for not knowing. For pretty much being the cause of it.

Luke saw Percy kill a dracaena. So he wouldn't look suspicious, he said, "You've gotten better with a sword, Percy. I'll grant you that."

He was lost in thought after that.

---

"Luke!" Thalia shouted. "Get out of here! Go to Camp!"

Luke shook his head. "No, Thalia, I won't! I can't!"

"You have to!" she yelled.

Annabeth was frightened. The monsters were so close. Just several feet away.

"Guys, we have to go," she said.

"Look, Luke, I don't want to be hunted anymore." Thalia told him. "It'll be worse at camp. I'll be endangering hundreds of half-bloods that have nothing to do with it. Who have no say in it."

"Thalia, then let me help -"

"What about Annabeth?" she asked. "We'll both die, and she'll have no one to look after her. Didn't you promise her you would be her family? That you wouldn't let anything hurt her?"

Luke nodded.

"How can you do that if you're dead?" she asked. "Just go, both of you."

Holding back tears, Luke nodded. He lifted Annabeth on his shoulders and ran up the hill, safely into camp. He carefully placed Annabeth back on the ground, as the two, and Grover in a distance, watched Thalia Grace, Daughter of Zues, and their best friend, fall to her doom.

And turn into a tree.

---

He didn't want this anymore. He didn't want any of it anymore. He wanted to be free from it all. All of it. But he knew he couldn't be. He knew that he hurt too many people. But right now, he wanted to leave. He agreed to referee Antaeus and Percy's match. Percy won, to no ones surprise, well, at least not Luke's. Percy told him to let them go, but Luke refused. He hated Percy too much. No, hated wasn't the word. [I]_Jealous[/I]. That was the word. He would let Percy and his mortal friend die, but he wasn't going to let Annabeth die._

_The monsters were about to attack when Percy blew a whistle that made no sound, and watched the whistle melt. Luke laughed. "What was that suppose to do?"_

_But Annabeth was smiling. Smirking, actually. She knew what it was suppose to do. Of course she did, she was the smart one, the wise one. Before you knew it, a hellhound came and threw Kelli the empousai into his lap, and the trio escaped, and the hellhound disappeared._

_And that was only the beginning. _


End file.
